Hobson's Pledge, and Brash's cop-out

Don Brash says that he'll be voting for New Zealand First in the upcoming general election. Brash almost won the 2005 election for the National Party, and led the Act Party during the 2011 contest. These days, though, he's a spokesman for Hobson's Pledge, a group that lobbies against the supposed 'Maorification' of New Zealand. Hobson's Pledge likes Winston Peters' denunciation of Maori 'separatism', and is keen on New Zealand First's promise to abolish the Maori seats in parliament. 

Hobson's Pledge claims to be opposed to all forms of racism, but the group's detractors claim it is home to white supremacists and supporters of conspiracy theories about New Zealand history. At the end of July I posted about the praise for white Rhodesia and apartheid South Africa, puerile abuse of Maori, and bizarre claims about a pre-Maori white civilisation that were appearing on the Hobson's Pledge facebook page. 

Don Brash announced his endorsement of New Zealand First in the Franklin E Local, a giveaway magazine with a history of publicising strange conspiracy theories. The E Local thinks whites built a huge and technologically sophisticated society in New Zealand thousands of years ago, before being vanquished by Polynesian latecomers. It also thinks that UFOs regularly visit the earth, and that aliens sit at the head of a number of governments. Last year the magazine ran a fawning interview with David Icke, the former British broadcaster who claims that shape-shifting lizards from a distant planet are colonising our world by impersonating celebrities and politicians. 

As I noted last year, Don Brash has been a long-time contributor to Franklin E Local. 

After I posted about the antics on Hobson's Pledge facebook page, a disillusioned supporter of the group named Chuck Bird responded. Like Don Brash, Bird is opposed to Maori seats in parliament and on local councils and Treaty-based legislation. Unlike Brash, Bird is uncomfortable with the conspiracy theories and white supremacist memes at the Franklin E Local and the Hobson's Pledge facebook page.

Chuck Bird is particularly troubled by the case of Alan Titford, the farmer, anti-Treaty activist, and believer in a pre-Maori white civilisation who was sentenced to twenty-four years in jail in 2013, after being found guilty of arson and rape. For a number of opponents of the 'Maorification' of New Zealand, like the ad man John Ansell and Franklin E Local, Titford is not a criminal, but instead the victim of an intricate conspiracy by the New Zealand state, the National Party, and Maori activists. Chuck Bird fell out with Hobson's Pledge after attempting to debunk the 'Titford was framed' conspiracy theory on the groups' facebook page.

Here's the message Bird sent me: 

I have not been banned by many blogs Facebook ones or other. However, I have been banned from Hobson’s Pledge FB. My offense was for condemning convicted rapist and arsonist, Alan Titford who John Ansell believes was framed by the National government.

I contacted Don about this and thought he would sort this out. However, he says it is not he that looks after the FB page and he would not get involved.

I would have hoped Don would have learned from the Exclusive Brethren. You get judged by the company you keep. HP has a racist that monitors what is said and bans people who criticize anti-Maori racists.

If one looks at the main page of HP there are 12 people listed. I am not sure of there titles. Two are Andy Oakley and Mike Butler. They both believe Titford was framed by the government. This is ridiculous.

I do not know if Don has wasted his own money on this group with many anti-Maori racists but he has spent at lot of time.

If he believes from his discussion with Winston will insist on a binding referendum on the Maori seats he would make a lot more sense for him to directly support NZF and Winston rather than expect others to fund HP adverts.

It would be good if Don would comment.

I think Don's continued lack of comment about this subject says a great deal. 

[Posted by Scott Hamilton]